A Paladin's Journey Ch. 07

Elaina shook her head. "No, my Lord. There are seven of us in total, including three par'vala. We are hiding in an old Temple here in the West, and we are not ready to defend ourselves against a large force."

Elessir looked truly surprised at the news, her eyes wide in her perfect face. She exchanged a long look with her husband, and it seemed as if they were having a private, silent conversation. Elaina thought Elessir wanted to help, while Andil felt uncertain.

Finally, they turned back to Elaina, and Andil spoke, his face grave. "It has been long since the Elves ventured from the forest in force," he told her. "If our armies were to be seen marching, it would not only provoke the Heralds, but also the Dwarves, and possibly others. The Dwarves alone would see our movements as some form of maneuver against them, and they could well retaliate."

Elaina felt her heart sinking, but Induin and Liaren piped up, forgetting their previous shyness in front of the two most powerful Elves in Ildernass.

"Please, Lord Andil," Liaren said softly. "Aran is... special. All the Arohim are, but Aran is important to us." She looked to her sister, who nodded firmly.

"We must confess something," Induin began as she smiled at her sister. "Liaren and I are Aran's meldin. We have been for months, now, ever since he and Liaren rescued me after that ungol attack." Elessir touched Induin's shoulder comfortingly, and the silver-haired Elf smiled back gratefully. "We kept it secret until now, for we were unsure of the rules around this. I hope we have caused no trouble, but now that we hold Aran's bond, we would die before letting it go." She finished with more than a hint of ferocity in her tone, then blushed when she realised whom she'd been speaking to. To her credit, however, she kept her sapphire eyes steady on Andil's.

Taking a deep breath, Andil rose gracefully and began to pace nearby. Not in frustration, but as if he were thinking deeply. He rested his chin on the fingers of one hand and crossed the other arm beneath his chest. He stopped after a few moments and came back to stand where he'd been sitting. "So," he said quietly, as if talking to himself. "Not only do the Elves owe a debt to this Aran for saving Induin's life, but now, if I understand the melda correctly, you two," he indicated the twins with a finger, "are inextricably tied to him for the rest of your lives. Is this accurate?"

Induin and Liaren nodded meekly. Andil's face was impassive, while Elessir's seemed sympathetic. A long silence stretched out as they awaited Andil's decision, and Elaina shared uncertain glances with the twins.

"Aya eldarin, elwenya," Elessir whispered as she looked up at her husband. "Honour of the Elves, my heart."

Andil exhaled and sat down again. "I am ever grateful to have you at my side, Elessir'ya vanima." He smiled broadly at his wife, and they shared another long moment as if they were the only two beings in existence. Andil turned to Elaina, his face seeming softer than it had before. "The Eryn'elda will fight to honour the Arohim, Elaina Fairborne."

Elaina thought she might jump for joy. Hold on, Aran. We're coming! "Thank you, my Lord, my Lady," she said gratefully, performing a seated bow. "We are ever in your debt."

"Nonsense," Elessir scoffed. Even that sounded musical coming from her lips. "There is no debt."

Elaina wanted to hug the incredibly attractive Lady of Ildernass, but she kept her composure. More punch was poured, and the rest of the afternoon was spent answering Andil's questions about when, where and how the Elves could best be put to use.

***

***ARAN - Plane of Aros***

Aran smiled as he looked around at the impossible landscape. If you did not consciously create your environment when you appeared on the Plane of Aros, you could sometimes find yourself in interesting places. Behind him, towering snow-capped mountains reared, their peaks lost in cloud, yet before him was the ocean, its waters the clearest blue, lapping gently against the pure white sand beneath his bare feet.

The sky above was clear, and a morning sun glinted off the water. Strangely, every now and then there was a flicker in the sky, and the ghost of a cloud would appear and then vanish just as quickly. Frowning, Aran concentrated, imagining the sky clear of clouds in his mind. Sure enough, the flickers vanished.

Suddenly a warm body was pressed up against his front. Arms were around his neck and full lips were kissing his neck. Large, soft breasts were mashed against his chest.

Aran relaxed muscles he hadn't realised were tense; he hadn't seen Elaina on the Plane for two nights, and although he could feel her through the melda, he was still wondering if all was well. Now he knew.

"We did it!" Elaina laughed happily, pulling back from her kissing to look into his eyes. "The Eryn'elda are marching at first light!"

He sighed in relief. He had never doubted Elaina or Induin or Liaren, but he had still known the Elves might refuse. He touched her face tenderly. "Thank you, my love."

There was more kissing, and Aran found his arms around her slim back, squeezing her tightly. "How was it?" He finally asked her, reluctantly breaking free of her lips.

"Ildernass?" She asked, running her hands over his chest. When he nodded, she told him all about it. He listened intently, his eyebrows climbing with interest when she described this lasselath thing, and he whistled in appreciation when she manifested one to show him. He laughed outright when she made one appear on his own body. He thought he looked silly, but she maintained she liked it.

The Lord and Lady certainly sounded impressive, maybe even a little unbelievable. Coming from anyone but Elaina, Aran might have questioned their description. He chuckled as she described Lord Andil in detail, and he could feel her hot desire through the melda.

"You didn't sleep with Durien or Andil," Aran stated when Elaina finished. It wasn't a question; he would have felt her pleasure. In fact, she hadn't been with anyone except Induin and Liaren since leaving the Temple, as best Aran could tell.

She shook her head. "I wanted to, but it didn't feel right, not with you out there fighting. And you felt so focused, so determined, that I didn't want to distract you."

A strand of her short golden hair came free in the breeze, and he tucked it back behind her ear. There were a hundred things he wanted to say; he wanted to tell her to always enjoy herself when she chose, to take time for herself whenever she needed it, because she deserved it, but all that came out of his mouth was: "I love you."

Their lips clashed again, harder this time, and he pulled his amatharn close, wanting her soft but firm body as close as possible. His hands dropped lower to grasp her full, luscious ass, and she moaned into the kiss when he squeezed her prodigious buttocks possessively.

Suddenly the landscape whirled, blurring and vanishing into blackness, then quickly reforming into a small room with white stone walls and blackwood paneling that came up halfway to the ceiling.

Aran and Elaina stopped kissing and stared around the familiar room. A bed stood against one wall beneath an arched window that looked out onto a moonlit yard surrounded by forest. A washstand with a small mirror against the other. Next to the closed blackwood door was an ornate robe of the same wood. A small Sunstone shone in a nook in the stone, lighting the space about as well as a good torch would have.

Emotion washed over Aran, a powerful wave of memory. That bed was where he'd slept for a year under Elaina's tutelage. He'd shed many a quiet tear in that bed, in the dead of night. His training had been hard, the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life by far, and he'd felt as if he were at the breaking point many times.

He looked down at Elaina, whom was still in his arms. "I used to lie there at night and plan my escape," he said quietly, nodding at the bed. "Once I got as far as the front door."

Elaina chuckled. "I'm glad you never got any farther." The bed was behind her, and she turned a little to look at it, bringing Aran around so they could stay in each other's arms as she did. "What else did you do in that bed?" She asked slyly, her full lips curving knowingly.

Aran laughed. "I used to take out the day's frustrations on my poor cock. It wasn't easy watching you getting around in your vaima, you know. Or having a bath, or the thousand other times I saw you naked or close to it."

"You were very strong," she purred, brushing her lips against his. Her warm breath tingled against his mouth. "You never touched me once, or tried to, no matter how I teased you."

Aran grunted. "You'll never know how hard that was, my love. Not that I ever would without permission. Also, you gave me so many beatings in the training yard that I would have been a fool to try."

"I'm trying to make it up to you," she whispered, flicking his lower lip with her tongue. "Now you can have me anytime you want, any way you want."

It was tempting. Oh, so tempting. Aran's cock had long since hardened and was resting between her thighs, up against her bald sex. The heat emanating from her bathed his sensitive organ, inviting him to fuck her. All his time in the Chapel, and he had never fucked Elaina in his bed.

He wanted to stay focused, on track, but on the other hand... In a lightning fast motion, he picked up his busty lover and tossed her onto the bed, where she landed with a delighted squeal. He quickly covered her body with his, pressing her down into the mattress and attacking her neck and collarbone with his lips.

"Oh, yes!" Elaina cried, arching her back and presenting her epic tits to him. He quickly found a hard nipple and took it into his mouth, running his tongue across the stiff peak. Somehow, his cock found its way to her moist entrance and slipped inside easily, until he was buried to the balls in her hot, clenching cunt.

Aran didn't know how long they would have together, so he fucked her urgently, driving his hips hard. Elaina fucked back, bucking her hips up to meet him, her breasts quaking with every collision of their bodies.

"Come in me," Elaina whispered up at him. He was supporting himself on his arms, looking down past her flat belly to where he was sawing in and out of her plump pussy. He met her emerald eyes, heavily lidded with pleasure. Her vala was pulsing with his, their power inextricably intermingled until he wasn't sure where he left off and she began. "Please."

Aran released his control and instantly felt a tightening in his lower belly as his balls began to lift and churn. Dropping down onto his elbows, he grasped Elaina by the shoulders and pushed deeply, the last few strokes sending him careering over the edge. Being so closely linked, her pleasure peaked in unison, and they came together, clutching each other frantically as the pleasure washed over them.

They lay like that for some time, neither one wanting to leave their intimate embrace. They both knew he would have to leave, soon, and they were putting it off as long as they could.

"How long?" he asked her softly, lifting his head enough so that he could look at her face. "Until the Elves come?"

"They think they can do it in three days," Elaina replied, touching his face.

Aran's eyebrows rose. "That fast?"

She nodded. "They say so, and I believe them."

"That's good to hear. I've been thinking; I think I'll bring the people from Rostin to the Chapel. That way, if things go south, we'll be able to fortify there."

"A good plan," Elaina agreed. "I'll be sure the Elves know where to go. If I see Amina on the Plane, I'll tell her, too. Aran?"

She looked up at him with concern, for his attention had suddenly been jerked from her. He felt like he was being shaken, rattle, pulled... Someone was trying to wake him, and urgently.

"I must go," he said quickly, preparing to depart the Plane. "I love you."

He kissed her briefly before vanishing, the feel of her lips on his lingering as he returned to his body.

"Aran!" He opened his eyes to see Smythe was shouting at him, one broad hand raised as if preparing to slap him.

"What is it?" He asked, sitting upright. Before Smythe could answer, a woman's scream pierced the darkness from somewhere at the other end of the hollow. Suddenly Aran could feel an approaching menace, like a film of rancid oil creeping across his skin. He locked eyes with Smythe and he knew the big Paladin could feel it too.

"Darkspawn," Smythe muttered. Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled a few inches of Lightbringer free to show the blade glowing softly, a pure, white light.

Surging to his feet, Aran began to roar as loudly as he could. "Awake! Awake now, for your lives!" He took off toward the scream, bellowing all the while.

Smythe hared off in the other direction, toward the ring of wagons, his bass rumble like a mountain collapsing. "Awake! Awake and weapons ready!"

***

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN

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*Hey guys, thanks for reading through yet another chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave some feedback for me if you would be so kind. - Anti.*